If you’re like most people, you’ve thought about family portrait photography but it just hasn’t happened. We hear it all the time, we are too busy, I need to have my hair done, my roots are showing, when I lose 10 more kilos, it’s hard to get everyone together… We’ve heard it. Many times. Sadly enough, it just never happens.
Here are three vital reasons family portrait photography should be an important part of your life.
1. To Document Growth
All too often we forget about our past because we are so busy building our futures. Our children grow up too fast! In the blink of an eye they are packing their bags and moving out of home and then they’re starting their own family. When children are younger, having a portrait of the family done each year is a great way to document the progress each of them is making as they grow. As children grow up they find their own lives and move away. The days when family all stayed within a few km’s of each other are long gone. Take advantage of the time you have together while you have it by having family pictures taken by a professional photographer. A way to remember those beautiful moments you had together.
2. Life Happens
We may not want to admit it but the make-up of the family can change without warning and loved ones may pass on. There’s no reason to dismiss the opportunity to capture life together now. You never know when that last chance for a family photo will come. In the past 14 years of being photographers we have seen many of our clients lose loved ones close to us. We often don’t realise the importance of family photographs until it is too late. A lot of us go looking for family photos when we lose a person close to us and it is only natural, we look to our family photographs to help us remember. These photos are the ones that will put smiles on our faces and help us cope with the change of a person no longer being nearby.
3. Reliving Memories
Family pictures, or portraits have the power to allow you to be taken back to an exact moment in time. Not only to remind you of how you looked but exactly how you felt at that moment. They bring us back in time. They’re a great way to reminisce. They are also a part of our legacy. In years to come, grandchildren and great-grandchildren may someday ask to see pictures of the family, and wouldn’t it just be sad if there were few or none to share? Having the photographs brings the family together again as they look back on their lives.
Life is busy and it’s not possible to ‘FIND’ time to have a portrait session, the time needs to be ‘MADE’ Don’t let life pass and look back, wondering why you didn’t take the time to have family pictures taken. Don’t make excuses or put it off any longer. You can’t go back in time for a redo, so avoid setting yourself up for an “I wish we had that photo shoot happen” situation. If you’ve been thinking about having a family portrait taken, do it. Do it for your children. Your children won’t notice the few extra kilos, a smile line that you notice but we guarantee they will be disappointed when they are older and there are no family photos to share with their children.
Why do we present to you such a personal message? Because we want people to stop and think about the importance of family photos and family history… how we can share memories from one generation to the next.
Family photos connect us to those who came before. By letting your kids see your photos from the past and the present, they become connected to their own story. They know the family members and ancestors who came before them and helped shape the world and person they see today. Because as time moves on, it is the memories of loved ones we will cherish documenting the most. Family photos can manifest emotions that words cannot.
Check out Annette’s legacy over on the blog here.
“Brenton, I cannot thank you enough for making our family a priority, we are so grateful for the gifts you have created for our family in memory of our Mum”
I encourage families to STOP, be PRESENT, and CELEBRATE the relationships they often take for granted. We am passionate about creating beautiful + honest artwork for my clients.
Brenton
